Sleeping Sickness
by uphill-battle
Summary: "We're just a group of Harley enthusiasts." He growled. "That's all you need to know." Anna Hurley, a petty criminal, was born with no flight mode and a set of metaphorical balls that could make anyone envious. She had no idea what she got into upon meeting Juice Ortiz.
1. Prologue

_"We're just a group of Harley enthusiasts." He growled. "That's all you need to know." _

_She scoffed. "That's all I need to know or all you can tell me? I've already been pulled into this. Keeping me in the dark will get me killed."_

_ "You wouldn't fucking get it." Tears threatened to escape from Juice's eyes._

_Anna's pink lips turned into a frown. "Try me, biker boy." _

* * *

"I don't care anymore." Anna sighed, flipping her raven hair over her shoulder.

"I know you don't, Anna, but I do. You're not okay. You haven't been okay, well, since you know..." Jake's voice trailed off.

"We don't fuckin' talk about that." Anna snapped at the darker skinned male across from her. Her southern drawl growing thick when she cursed.

"I'm sorry." Jake's head hung in defeat. "So where are you gonna go?"

Anna rose to her feet and made her way towards the desk in the corner of the room. Grabbing a map and a penny out of the drawer, she took her seat at the table. "Well." A smirk formed on her lips. "I guess we'll see."

Folding the map out in front of her and flipping the penny in the air, Anna watched as the coin landed on the sunny state of California.

"Looks like I'll be makin' my way to Charming, California."

"Lettin' a map and damn coin make your life choices for you? Typical Anna." Jake huffed. "I'll miss ya. Keep out of trouble, girl." He smiled a 100 watt smile.

"How much trouble can I get in a place called Charming?" Anna giggled.

* * *

**Ah, so, new story! I've been thinking about starting a Juice story for a while. I really like the idea I have and hopefully all of you will too! This is just the prologue. Let me know what ya think! **


	2. Chapter 1

The sun beat down on the hood of the black 1967 Chevy Impala. Dust rippled off of the tires as the car passed a large sign on the side of the road. _Welcome to Charming. _Anna hummed a tune out the window as she drove past quaint shops on main street, ignoring the looks from bystanders. The streets were practically a ghost town compared to humid, crime ridden New Orleans. It was going to be a big, much needed change. Anna had been surrounded by petty criminals and scum her whole life. She was over it.

Anna was thankful her new house wasn't hard to find. The girl smiled to herself as she pulled into the large cul-de-sac and into the gravel drive way. Unlike other streets she had passed, this one was more desolate. Woods surrounded the back of the small brick house.

Her only neighbor would be at the beginning of the cul-de-sac. Glancing at the larger white house she noticed a motorcycle parked in the driveway. The grass was unkempt and leaves were scattered all over the yard. Either the person is lazy or not home much, the girl thought. Shrugging it off, Anna started to grab boxes from her car and carry them into her new home. It was time to officially start over.

* * *

Anna shut her car door and glanced around the empty parking lot of Riley's Bar. A lucky phone call and a little convincing had landed the dark haired girl a try out for a job as a bartender.

The bar was dimly lit. Only neon signs of various beers and a few lamps lighting the room. "We aren't open yet." A voice grumbled. Anna turned to meet the gaze of a man behind the bar. He was tall, in his mid forties, light salt and pepper scruff littered his chin, his dark eyes were transfixed on the girl.

Anna cleared her throat. "I'm here for the bartender position."

"Ah," his face lit up "Anna, right?" She nodded. "I'm Jeff Riley. Nice to meet you. Come on over and lets see what kind of skills you got."

In only a ten minute time span Anna had already managed to impress Jeff Riley. Her knowledge of drinks was more than any employee he had before. They traded a few laughs, useless facts, and a little bit of information about themselves. Jeff had immediately warmed up to her. Though Anna didn't want to admit it, he reminded her of adopted older brother. She missed Jake and this would make the move a little easier.

"You're alright, kid. If all goes well tonight consider yourself Riley's full time bartender." Jeff grinned. "I got to warn you, though. It can get a little wild when we get some unsavory characters in here."

Anna was used to every kind of unsavory character there was. "I doubt anythin' in Charming is gonna surprise me, darlin'." She beamed.

"Well see about that." Jeff chuckled. "We open in thirty minutes. Keep that smile on your face and that attitude and you'll be just fine. I'll be in the back, gotta do some paperwork. Let me know if you need anything."

* * *

The first few hours had been slow and rather uneventful. A few men just getting off work were scattered around the pool tables, a few seated at the bar, a group of men Anna couldn't see very well sat at a table near the back. Jeff hadn't made many appearances thought out the night. It made Anna feel good that he trusted her so much on her first night. She had met some locals, mingled, and even made some tips. Everything was going well. Until the very definition of an unsavory character waltzed through the doors, taking a seat at the bar. His white tank top was slightly stained and hung low, revealing a swastika tattoo. Anna wrinkled her nose at the thought.

"Give me a cold on, sweet cheeks. Now." He barked. His voice was rough, like sandpaper. If it weren't her first night Anna could've already told him to get out, but she obeyed. Placing the glass in front of him she tried to avoid eye contact.

"I haven't seen you around here before." He smiled, revealing yellowing teeth. Anna shrugged him off and went back to cleaning beer mugs. "Hey, I'm talking to you. You deaf girl?" He smirked.

"I'm not deaf. However you must be stupid. I'm clearly ignoring you." The girl retorted.

"Watch your fucking mouth, bitch." He grunted, taking a sip of his beer.

Anna's temper was boiling to the surface. She tried her best to shake his comment off.

"There's plenty of things that mouth of yours could be doing other than being a smartass." The man slammed his beer mug on the bar. By now the interaction between the two had the occupants of the room's attention.

Anna couldn't keep a cap on her anger any longer. She took a step forward, meeting the man's gaze. "Slam that mug on my bar again and I'll personally throw ya ass out of here." She sneered. Anna Hurley could put out a fire with her icy gaze, yet this man didn't seem fazed. In fact, he laughed. '_The nerve of him_!' Anna fumed. Before she could turn away he had a tight grip on her wrist, pulling her closer to his face. Her arm pounded with the pressure of his old.

"Listen up and listen good, bitch, don't fucking speak out of line to me. I'll take you, do as I please, and no one will ever see your fucking body again." He roared.

Before Anna's brain could sync up with his words her fist had already made contact with his nose. A crunch echoed through the now silent bar as blood cascaded down his face.

As she predicted, his hands found her shirt and she was yanked over the bar. She reacted with a quick punch to his jaw before she was thrown. Anna braced for the impact of the ground, but it never came. Instead she landed on an almost equally hard surface. A surface with a heartbeat. The men from the back table were at the small girl's aid in an instant.

"I'd pick your next move real fucking carefully, Darby." The blonde spoke through clinched teeth. He stood slightly shorter than the man she now knew as Darby. Him and the man with the shaven head wore matching vests decorated with large reapers. '_Sons of Anarchy, California_.' Anna read.

"This has nothing to do with you, Teller. It had nothing to do with any of you." Darby spat blood onto the floor.

"Leave, Darby." The man with the shaven head grumbled. His voice was menacing. Darby threw a glare to the girl before stumbling out the front door.

Anna was so wrapped up in the scene before her she had forgotten about the wall of muscle behind her and the arm wrapped around her waist. She quickly snapped back into reality and shoved the arm off of her. Turning on her heel she met a pair of chocolate brown eyes. They held concern and the man's face was turned into a frown. His head was framed with a narrow mohawk in the middle of tribal style lightening bolt tattoos on each side of his head. Anna's eyes zeroed in on the rope like bruise around the man's throat.

"Uh." The blonde started. "You okay, darlin'?" He spoke softly, taking Anna's attention off the man.

"Y-yeah. Thanks." She nodded. "I had that, though."

The blonde snorted. "Sure you did, darlin'. I'm Jax." He smiled. "This is Happy." He gestured to the man with the shaven head. "And that's Juice." Her eyes lingered on the one named Juice before her anger reappeared. She didn't need help. She never had help before and she did just fine. Anna's pride was an ugly thing.

"Whatever." Anna huffed before stomping off toward the office. She could feel three sets of eyes burned into her back.

* * *

**Okay, here's the first chapter. The next few will show you more of what Anna is really about with some bits and pieces of her past. What do you think of her? How about some theories of her past? :) Reviews make me very happy!**


	3. Chapter 2

"So I got an interesting call from an old friend not too long ago." Jeff spoke from across the bar. Two a.m hadn't come quickly enough and Anna was thankful when she could flip the neon OPEN sign off. The girl had spent the last hour wiping down the bar and making sure everything was spotless, which included the spots of blood from the incident with Darby.

"Oh yeah?" Anna pressed.

"Yeah." Jeff stopped directly in front of the girl, causing her to meet his gaze. "Anna, Darby is scum but the Sons are a completely different story." Her questioning expression said it all. "The fellas to helped you out." He answered. "They're good guys, the whole lot of 'em. SAMCRO keeps the peace in Charming, though some will disagree. They deserve respect. I know you were mad, but just watch it next time." Jeff warned.

The girl's perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose slightly. "Now don't get me that look." The middle aged man chuckled. "Consider what happened with Darby dirt under the rug. You handled it better than I probably would of. See you tomorrow at six?" He smiled.

"So you aren't going to give me some long lecture and send me packin'?" Anna joked.

"Nah. I like you, kid. It'll be nice to have you around." Jeff patted the girl on the back before returning to his office. For the first time in a long time Anna was content with how her life was going.

"So how do ya know 'em?" Anna chirped, suddenly a little interested.

"The President, Clay Morrow, and me go way back. Jax, the VP, I've watched him grow up. He's the VP. It's just hard not to know someone when you've all grown up in the small city. I call it small-town syndrome." Jeff laughed.

Keeping the peace? President and VP? "Are they a gang or something?" Anna inquired.

Jeff seemed amused by the girl's questioned. He smirked. "I wouldn't say that. But hey, get out of here and get some rest."

* * *

Juice watched from the shadows as the dark haired girl exited Riley's and headed towards a 1967 Impala. Hiding in the bushes to the side of the small parking lot made the biker feel like a cowardly stalker. Something in his gut urged him to stay, to make sure the bartender got to her car without any problems.

The girl reminded him of a younger Gemma. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a bit intimidated by her presence. How small her frame felt when he intercepted her fall brought him back to the reality of how small she really was. She stood several inches shorter than his 5'10 form, her black hair ran down her to her mid back in waves, and her sea-foam green eyes held an intense array of emotions. Juice watched as she walked to her car, her hips swinging in an hypnotizing motion. He'd also be lying if he didn't admit how attractive he thought she was.

The tension in the air lessened as she fumbled with her keys, unlocked the door, and slid into the drivers seat. The engine of the old car roared to life.

Juice sighed to himself as he wrapped his head around the past few week's events. Between dealing with Eli, Mile's death, and him failing to take his own life Juice felt lower than low. His fingers trailed over the new patch adorning his cut. _Men of Mayhem. _Juice wasn't worthy. Tears pricked his eyes once again. How the hell was he going to get out of the mess he had put himself in? The club was all he had.

He had been an emotional wreck lately. It was almost as if he lost control of his own life. He'd give anything to get that control back. He felt in control when he intervened in the fight. If he hadn't been there she would've hit the ground. He shuttered to think of what the outcome would've been. An all too familiar emotion flashed across her eyes as she was yanked across the bar; fear. It was an emotion Juice was beginning to know all too well.

* * *

Juice watched from the bartender's driveway as she struggled with the chunk of leaves in her hand. His mood had dramatically improved upon realizing the girl was his new neighbor. Something about the girl just put all of his problems at ease, even if it was only for a few minutes. "Well, here goes nothing." He whispered. He chuckled to himself as he watched her attempt to stretch her arm further down the gutter, which was obviously out of reach. He would've been amused of the ladder didn't look so shaky.

* * *

"You've got to be fucking kidding me. Who doesn't clean gutters before selling a house!?" Anna cried in frustration while trying to ignore the fact she was suspended ten feet in the air. The girl huffed as she tried to maintain her balance and scrape the gunk from the metal gutter. "Un-fuckin-believeable." She groaned.

A chuckle from the ground below startled the girl, throwing her off her perfect balance and hurdling toward the concrete. Arms wrapped themselves around her torso, pulling her into a hard chest instead of the hard ground. "Whoa there." A voice huffed, blowing hot breath down her neck. Anna pushed herself off of her savior before turning to give him a hard glare.

She was surprised to see the tan skinned man with the mohawk from the bar. Juice, if she remembered correctly. "We have to stop meeting like that." His big goofy smile lit up his face.

Anna's eyes turned into narrow slits and her full lips pursed into a tight line. "What are you doing here?" She snapped.

"Hey, you should be thanking me. If I weren't here your head would probably be busted open." Juice meant it as a joke.

"I wouldn't of fucking fallen if you wouldn't of scared me you fucking moron!" Anna yelped. Her patience was wearing very thin.

"I'm sorry." He dark eyes focused on hers. "I was just coming to properly introduce myself. I'm Juice. It seems we're neighbors." His toothy grin threw Anna off. Even after insults had been thrown at him, his smile remained bright and sincere. "I could clean those out, you know." He gestured toward the gutters.

Anna looked at the man skeptically. "I think I have it handled just fine."

"I didn't catch your name." Juice realized.

"Because I didn't give it to you." Anna huffed, turning back to the mess of gunk that now littered her driveway.

Almost as if he read her mind, "I'll clean that up. Since it was my fault and all." Juice chortled. Lifting the plastic bag off of the ground Juice began scrapping gunk into it's rightful place.

Sighing to herself, the dark haired girl decided to tone down her attitude for the time being. The guy seemed pleasant enough and if they were going to be neighbors then she might as well give him a chance. She cleared her throat softly. "I'm Anna, by the way. It's, uh, nice to meet you."

* * *

**_March 1996_**

_The dark haired girl tuned out the conversation around her. Her focus on the old, tattered doll in her tiny hands. It had been her only companion for as long as she could remember. Tears brimmed her eyes, a few sliding down her milky white cheeks onto the dirty white fabric of the doll. _

_She didn't notice the dark skinned boy that was standing in front of her until he spoke. "Hi!" He chirped happily. "I'm Jake and I'm five. What's your name?" His smiled from ear to ear, revealing a few missing baby teeth. _

_"I'm Anna." The girl's voice was barely above a whisper. _

_"Well, Anna. Why are you crying?" Jake frowned. _

_Anna's brain didn't know how to process the question. She wasn't even sure why she was crying. "I-I don't know." She answered honestly. _

_"Well, you don't need to be sad anymore. My daddy says you're gonna be my new sister." The boy grinned. _

_Anna could almost feel the the happiness radiating off of the boy. She had been in the orphanage her whole life. She never knew what having a brother was like, or any sort of family at all. Her heart jumped in her chest. _

_"So no more being sad. You're my family and my family isn't allowed to be sad!" The boy spoke confidently. He gave another signature toothy grin before intertwining his fingers with Anna's. "Let's go play!" He cheered._

* * *

**A big thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! It's really cool to see people take interest in my story. **


	4. Chapter 3

The familiar sound of gunshots woke Juice from a deep slumber. One more rang through the air before it went eerily quiet. "What the fuck?" He mumbled. The shots were too close for comfort and it made Juice's stomach churn. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he reached for the glock on his nightstand.

Juice had his pants and shoes on in seconds. He quickly sprinted towards the front door and swung it open. There were a lot of things Juice was expecting but slamming into another body as he stepped over the threshold was not one of them.

* * *

Anna laid in bed, tossing and turning for most of the night. Glancing at the red lights coming from her alarm clock, she sighed heavily. _2:37 AM. _The night shifts at the bar had really been messing with any sort of hope for a normal sleep schedule. She was grateful for the next few days off.

Finally, a wave of sleepiness washed over the woman. Her eyelids began to grow heavy. **_Thump._**Anna's eyes snapped open and all traces of sleep left her body. Lifting her head slightly, she listened. **_Thump_****.**"Shit. Be quiet." A voice hissed from somewhere in the house. Anna's body went stiff and panic set in. Someone, or multiple someones, were in her house.

Anna's brain quickly synced up with her body as she tossed her legs over the bed and lowered herself to the floor. Reaching under her bed she felt her fingers trace across cold metal. If she wasn't so scared, she would've mentally high-fived herself for thinking of placing the shotgun under the bed. Grabbing the gun, she rose to her feet and crept into the dark hallway. Anna flipped the safety off and placed her finger on the trigger. _Remind me to thank Jake for teaching me about guns. _She made a mental note. Anna's eyes adjusted to the darkness just in time for her to see the figure in the living-room. The woman froze. Her survival instincts kicked in as she squeezed the trigger. The deafening gunshot rang through the air. "Shit!" The voice growled. "The fuck?!" A second voice shouted from behind her. Anna turned on her heels, firing down the hallway before darting back into her room. Slamming the door and locking it she dropped the gun onto the bed and tried to calm herself long enough to think of a plan. Anna ran a hand through her raven hair and glanced around the room. The cheap door wouldn't hold for much long as the two men beat on it from the other side. "We're gonna get you, you fucking bitch." One shouted. There was no more time to think.

Anna grabbed the nearest heavy object and tossed it through the window. The door the her bedroom exploded open giving her the extra push she needed to throw herself out the window. Shards of glass pierced her feet as she hit the ground but that didn't stop her from immediately taking off to the first place she thought of.

Once Anna's feet hit the pavement she didn't bother looking back. Her legs carried her down the road and straight to the house at the end of the street. _Come on, come on. Legs, don't give up on me now. Almost there. _Her mind cried as she took the last few steps toward the front door. Before Anna's mind could process anything else she was on her ass on the cold ground, stifling a scream.

* * *

Juice stumbled back before regaining his composure and looking at the ground before him. "Anna? What the fuck?" He yelped, pulling the dark haired girl off the ground. Her knees buckled and he placed an arm around her waist to keep her from falling again. Tears streamed down her face and her eyes darted down the street. "I- I. T-there w-was s-someone..." she mumbled, her voice trailing off. "Sshhh." He pulled her body closer to his. "Come on. Let's get you inside. It's okay. I won't let anything get you." He cooed.

The man ran his hand over the patch of hair going down his head. He had spent the last twenty minutes cleaning up her feet and she had finally stopped sobbing enough to tell him what was going on.

"There were people in my house. Two men." She paused. "I-I didn't get a good look at 'em. I fired two shots but I don't think I hit 'em." She spoke softly.

Juice sunk to eye level with the girl. "Are you okay?" He questioned, propping her chin up with his hand so he could get a good look at her. Juice's heart dropped a little as he looked into her green eyes. Her eyes were red and puffy, a few stray tears still rang down her pale cheeks.

Anna's eyes raked over his body. If this would have been any other situation, Anna would've found herself blushing at sight of him without a shirt on. His body must've been sculpted from marble and his pants hung dangerously low on his hips. Her eyes trailed back up to his face and she realized his eyes held concern as he waited for her answer. "I don't know." She admitted. The man rose back to his feet and paced across the room. "I'll be right back. I got to make a phone call." He whispered before striding down the hallway.

She heard his voice from the bedroom as he whisper-yelled. She strained her ears to hear what he was saying. "Jax, we got a problem." He paused. "Please just meet me at my place." A slight hint of begging laced his voice. "Okay. Bye."

The girl's eyes began to grow heavy as she sunk into the couch. It smelt of musky cologne, alcohol, and leather. The smell was the most comforting thing Anna had experienced in a long time.

* * *

Juice pulled a shirt over his head before emerging from his room. A slight smile cracked over his features as his eyes drifted over Anna's sleeping form. He had never seen a human being look more peaceful. He grabbed a blanket from a nearby chair and draped it over the girl.

The sound of a motorcycle pulling up and shutting off snapped Juice's eyes away from the sleeping girl on his couch. "No, Juice, not creepy or anything. Just watching the girl sleep like it's normal." He mumbled to himself as she walked to the front door.

Stepping out the front door he faced Jax who was waiting patiently in the driveway. "So whats up, brother?"

"Someone broke into Anna's house,The bartender from Riley's, two guys. They've gotta be working for that asshole Darby." Juice filled Jax in on the night's events.

"Shit, man." Jax huffed.

"Yeah." Juice let out a low chuckle.

"Where is she?" Jax questioned.

Juice glanced toward the house. "She passed out on the couch a few minutes ago."

Jax nodded. "Alright. Let her sleep for now. Let's go check out the house."

Juice pulled the gun from the back of his jeans as they approached the house. With the short time he had known the raven haired beauty, he felt an overwhelming need protect her. Caring for another person made him forget about everything he was dealing with. Juice welcomed it with open arms.

* * *

Anna's eyes opened only to be greeted by harsh light. The delicious smell of bacon and eggs wafted itself into the girl's nose. Her eyes opened, once again, to find less harsh light and a living-room which was definitely not her own. The previous night's events flooded into her memory. Frowning, she sat up and looked to the kitchen. Juice crept around the kitchen, his back turned to her, revealing the giant grim reaper on his leather vest.

"Uh, Juice?" She spoke.

The man turned, signature goofy smile plastered on his face. "Oh, hey. You're awake!" He grinned. He picked up a plate and crossed the room. "I made food. I figured you'd be hungry." He laughed.

"Thanks." She only looked at the plate. "But I should probably go. Got to inspect the damage, ya know?" She stood on her sore feet. They would be killing her later.

"Taken care of. Window and all the doors replaced. The holes from the shots too." Juice smiled proudly.

"Oh." Anna was surprised. "Well." She stood not really knowing what else to say. "What do I owe ya?"

Juice's free hand rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as his eyes averted to the ground. "I was, uh, thinking maybe I-I could take you out to dinner or whatever." He spit out the words.

A small smile played on Anna's lips at the nervousness of the full grown man in front of her. It was a little adorable. _No. Shut up. You don't think it's adorable. _Her inner voice scolded. Despite the fact she wanted to protest Anna forced out a yes.

"It's a date!" Juice cheered, earning a look from the girl. "O-or not. Just a dinner. A dinner between friends." He corrected.

* * *

**Sorry it's been a while since I updated. I had a lot going on and didn't really get a chance to sit down and figure out what to do with this story next. Not to mention I hit a wall of writers block. Ugh. **

**Well, I'll hopefully get another update out sometime this week! :) **

**Reviews are always greatly appreciated! **


	5. Chapter 4

**Since I got such an awesome response on the last chapter I decided to go ahead and update. I'm stressed out about this season finale tonight and I need to try and keep my mind off of it. I'll probably be updating my Opie story (Colors Don't Run) as well! **

**Anyways, thank you for all the support. It's really cool seeing how much you guys enjoy this story. I appreciate it a lot. 3**

* * *

Anna and Juice sat across from each other in an awkward silence. The small dinner was nearly empty. Juice shifted in his seat. "I know this isn't really fancy or anything. I'm really sorry. You probably wanna go home. I can totally take you home-" Anna cut the man off. "It's alright, Juice. Just dinner as friends, remember?" She offered a small smile. Juice mentally slapped himself at his outburst of word vomit and her use of the word 'friend'.

"Right. Friends." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "So, uh, where are you from?"

Anna took a sip of her drink before answering. "New Orleans. What about you?"

"Queens." Juice answered back.

"I knew you were a city boy." Anna teased.

"I don't know if that should offend me or not." Juice chuckled.

"It shouldn't." She grinned. "Got any siblings?"

"Nah. I was an only child. You got any?"

"Yeah. I have a brother. Jake. He's a year younger." Anna slightly frowned thinking about her brother. "I miss 'em."

He found out she was adopted to a single father who she looked up to, she had gotten into some trouble that she didn't really want to talk about and she was one of the funniest people he had ever met.

Anna popped a fry in her mouth before locking eyes with Juice. "Alright. Enough about me. I have something I've been wanting to ask you."

Juice cocked an eyebrow at the girl. "Okay. Shoot."

"What's up with the kutte?" Anna nodded towards the vest Juice was wearing. It had been a question she had wanted to ask ever since her first night at the bar. Juice's smile dropped and that only made her curiosity peak. She had obviously caught him off guard.

"Oh. Uh, just a group thing. Me and some of the guys get together and ride sometimes." Juice casually explained. The question made him a little uncomfortable. He had never had anyone ask him about the club before.

"Yeah, right." Anna snorted. "I know what an MC is, Juice. I ain't stupid." She chortled.

"You don't know anything." All of the pressure Juice had been dealing with couldn't of picked a worse moment to show back up. Juice clenched his teeth trying to control the anger boiling under his skin. "We're just a group of Harley enthusiasts." He growled. "That's all you need to know."

"Calm down, biker boy." Anna huffed.

"I have to go." Juice rose from the booth, took out his wallet and slammed a few bills on the table.

Anna sat in slight shock at how quickly things went downhill. She watched as Juice stormed through the doors of the dinner. "That boy is gonna give me damn whiplash." She mumbled to herself.

* * *

Juice turned into the Teller-Morrow lot. He wanted to go back and apologize. He was so mad at himself. Taking off his helmet, he ran a hand over his mohawk.

"Got some news, Juicey Boy." Jax approached the man's now parked motorcycle. "Found out one of Darby's guys went to St. Thomas for shotgun shrapnel early this morning. Guy's name is Ricky Dalton. Grade A scumbag." Jax explained, tossing Juice a file. Opening the file, Juice cringed at the guy's picture. He looked like he belonged in some backwoods meth house. Breaking and entering. Assault. Robbery. "This guy is a scumbag."

"What do you want to do, brother? It's your call." Jax said.

Juice weighted his options. He knew this would change things. "Let's go pay him a visit."

Jax raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

Juice nodded. He was going to make sure this guy didn't come near Anna ever again.

* * *

Anna hadn't seen or heard from Juice in close to a week. As mad as she still was, it was frustrating. The girl had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't noticed the body now standing on the other side of the bar. "'Scuse me."

"We're not open yet." Anna grumbled before turning around. Her already awful mood increased at the sight of the kutte. Her eyes turned into narrow slits.

"I'm not here ta start any trouble, darlin'." The Scotsman spoke calmly.

Anna inwardly groaned. "What do ya want?"

"It seems ye got Juicey Boy's feelins all twisted up." The man chuckled. Anna watched as the scars on his face turned upwards. "I'm Chibs." He extended a hand, which Anna awkwardly shook.

"Been talkin' about me? Anna questioned. "Then I'm guessin' he told you about our lovely outting." Her words were dripping with sarcasm.

Chibs smiled. "The lad has a lot goin' on. Don't hold it against him."

* * *

Anna's eyebrows knitted in confusion as she went to answer the door. "Who the hell?" She asked herself.

Before the girl could even register who it was, Juice had pushed himself in the doorway. "No. Get the fuck out." She seethed, stumbling backwards. "I don't even care what you have to say. Just get the fuck out." She placed her hands on his chest and pushed. Anna sighed when he barely budged. "Get out, Juice." His eyes held amusement at her failed attempt to get him to leave.

"Not until we talk. Please." He pleaded.

"There's nothin' to talk about! I had to walk home the other night because you're fuckin' bipolar. Do ya know how bad that sucked considering how messed up my feet were? I couldn't walk the next day." The girl ranted.

Guilt overwhelmed Juice. "I'm really sorry about that." He mumbled.

Anna watched Juice carefully. It was like yelling at a puppy. The bad thing about puppies; you could never stay mad at them. He looked defeated.

"It's okay." Her voice was barely audible. "Look, I get if there's stuff ya don't want to say or can't say but that was out of line."

Juice finally took his eyes off the floor, locking eyes with the girl. "I know. It's just complicated."

"Life is complicated, sweetheart." Anna whispered. "Ya just got to deal with it."

"It's not that easy." He argued.

"Why?" Such a simple question, yet Juice had no idea how to answer it. Why didn't he tell Eli to fuck off? Why didn't he go to the club with what was going on? Why did he steal the coke and kill a brother? Why?

"If you had a secret that could ruin everything, what would you do?" He pressed.

"Whats going on with you?" Anna grew concerned.

Juice's mind was battling itself. He had to get it off his chest. "You were right. I patched into SAMCRO a few years ago. It was the best decision I've ever made." He explained. "But the club has some guidelines. I fucked up, Anna. I fucked up big time."

"Juice-" Anna tried to comfort him but was cut off.

"My dad is black. I hid it from the club because I wanted to be a part of it so fucking bad. The club is all I fucking have. I don't have a family. I don't have friends. If I lose this, I lose my whole life." Juice's chocolate eyes spilled tears.

Anna sighed. "Color doesn't determined family, Juice. Blood doesn't determined family either."


End file.
